Are the kids alright for voting at 16? Maltese teens will need civic education

Maltese 16-year-olds who will be voting next year for the first time in their lives are still amongst the least knowledgeable in politics and civic education, a global survey has found.

A European Commission report pointed out the contrast between civic education and the right to vote, saying the lowering of the voting age highlights the importance of citizenship education.

The report Monitor 2018 referred to the 2016 survey that shows Maltese students not only score nine points below the global average when it comes to civic education, but were the second worst performing among 14 EU countries which participated in this study.

The Maltese scored 54 points below Russian peers and 73 points below the Norwegians when it comes to civic education, the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study – which is carried out by International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement – revealed.

The results for Malta were based on a comprehensive survey of 3,764 14-year olds attending 47 Maltese schools. The questionnaire assessed student knowledge with multiple choice questions on themes such as the misuse of power, party financing, freedom of expression and civil society.

Only 42% of Maltese students chose the correct option when asked why some countries have party financing laws for example. The question referred to the practice of “individuals or groups who sometimes give money to political parties”.

Students were then asked to choose from four options on why some countries have enacted laws requiring parties to disclose donations. The correct answer was that the laws “discourage political parties from favouring the people who make the donations.” The wrong options included statements that the laws “encourage people to join the wealthy political parties”, “help the public decide which party is likely to win” and “encourage the people to vote for the political party receiving fewer donations.”

Maltese students also performed badly when asked to mention two different things that can be done to prevent misuse of power.

Significantly the study suggests Maltese boys were even more lacking in civic education than girls, who scored 38 points higher than boys – the widest gender gap found among all the countries participating in the study.

Scores also differed significantly between school types, with boys and girls attending independent schools, and girls attending Church schools, scoring significantly better, indeed exceeding the international average by 17 points.

The study also found that Maltese students “who have many books at home and whose parents have a high income, a high educational and occupational level” are more likely to score higher in civic knowledge than their counterparts.

Among EU countries participating in the study, particularly low levels of civic knowledge were typically found in just 5% or less of the student body. But Bulgaria (22%) and Malta (19%) were the exceptions. And students hailing from an immigrant background fared worse than natives, however, in Malta they achieved similar results when it came to civic education.

Apart from assessing their knowledge the study also shines a light on students’ beliefs and attitudes on a wide range of topics. It found that students’ trust in institutions in Malta was significantly higher than the global average. Maltese students attending State and Church schools exhibited more trust in institutions than independent school students.

Maltese students attending Church and independent schools were then more in favour with free worker movement within Europe than students attending State schools. Boys, particularly those attending State and Church schools, were more in favour of worker migration restrictions than females.

Additionally, boys – particularly those attending Church and independent schools – had a stronger sense of European identity than females.

Commission highlights labour market problems

Monitor 2018 also throws light on Malta’s labour market challenges.

Despite significant improvements in recent years, Malta has the highest proportion of low-qualified adults in the EU: 52.7 % of those aged between 25 and 64 have at most an education level equivalent to lower secondary education.

Moreover, the proportion of low-qualified young people (aged 20-24) is among the highest in the EU (22.9% vs 16.7%), while the tertiary educational attainment rate is one of the lowest.

By contrast, over a third of foreigners living in Malta have tertiary education, helping to fill skill shortages in growth areas such as ICT, accounting, finance and science.

But at just over 94 %, the employment rate for recent graduates in Malta is the highest in the EU.

The school-age population is also expected to grow significantly over the coming decades. Between now and 2050, Eurostat forecasts a 15.9 % increase in the school age population (5-18-year-olds), one of the highest in the EU, driven by migration flows, with potential implications for the education system.

On a positive note the report notes that the number of under-3-year-olds in formal childcare has risen significantly, from 17.9% in 2015 to 31.3% in 2016 and is now close to the EU average of 32%.

It also notes that several reform measures are being backed by substantial investment with the aim of fostering inclusion and improving learning outcomes.

The Commission’s report refers to the ongoing expansion of Malta’s higher education sector adding that this “is not without difficulties, and raises questions about quality standards”.

The report refers to the American University of Malta (AUM) which opened as planned in the academic year 2017/18, but also refers to “extensive media reporting on its problems”. These problems include: “a failure to attract students and hire suitable academic staff and the allegation that students were using the university as a means to enter the EU.”